Canadian Fair Trade Network 2015 Annual Report The Canadian Fair Trade Network (CFTN) is a federally registered non-profit organization. The CFTN is registered under and adheres to policies laid out in the Canadian Not-for-profit Corporations Act. The CFTN operates with an active board of directors, executive director and working team, and an advisory council. For more information please contact: The Canadian Fair Trade Network 514 – 207 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC V6B 1H7 1.604.685.6005 | [email protected] @CFTNetwork Canadian Fair Trade Network CFTNetwork Réseau canadien du commerce équitable 2 | Canadian Fair Trade Network • 2015 Annual Report Table of Contents Letter from the President 4 Board of Directors 5 Letter from the Executive Director 8 Highlights of 2015 9 CFTN by Numbers 13 Financial Report 14 3 Letter from the President It was just a few years ago when we held our first meetings as the CFTN’s board and staff. During these meetings, we did some philosophical sorting and strategic planning, and we adopted the motto “Scaling Up with Integrity.” That is, we would work (hard) to grow the fair trade movement, locally, nationally, and globally, while not losing sight of the strict standards by which fair trade should be judged. Indeed, this past year has been one of “Scaling Up with Integrity.” In programming, the CFTN has helped more towns, campuses, and now schools achieve fair trade designations. There have been more Fair Trade Events across the country, and more businesses, organizations, and institutions have come to us to ask how they can become fair trade firms, workplaces, or spaces. Our conferences have continued to grow, engaging more participants, receiving better media coverage and making a greater local impact. On the integrity side of the equation, the CFTN continues to adhere to a strong belief in Fairtrade International certification. We have confidence in the Fairtrade Mark, and while every system can be improved, this particular brand provides a solid path to meeting the highest fair trade standards. In “Scaling Up with Integrity,” the CFTN has also spent time this year looking at how to build our relationships with like-minded labels and organizations such as the Fair Trade Federation, the Small Producers’ Symbol and the World Fair Trade Organization. We have also increased our efforts to work with and support the handmade sector. On the topic of increased cooperation, the CFTN and Association québécoise du commerce équitable are pleased to announce the signing of a working agreement between our organizations. Working together makes us far stronger in meeting the challenges that arise as the fair trade movement grows. Every time CFTN people gather, whether for a face-to-face meeting or to attend a trade show or conference, we display not only our passion for fair trade but also our respect for one another and our ability to weave together our knowledge, experience, and optimism. To grow, every organization needs money and people, and thanks to new funding, the CFTN grew a little bit in its capacity in 2015. But there is still much work to be done. More financial and human resources are needed to accomplish our ambitious program goals. We acknowledge, with great thanks, the incredible commitment, talent, and effort of our executive director, Sean McHugh. We also salute the many volunteers who sit on our board of directors and various committees, as well as those who belong to Fair Trade Town, Campus, and School Committees across the country, and everyone who promotes and uses fair trade–certified products, whether as individual consumers or as procurement staff in businesses and institutions. Zack Gross President, CFTN Board of Directors 4 | Canadian Fair Trade Network • 2015 Annual Report Who We Are The Canadian Fair Trade Network (CFTN) is a non-profit organization that works with civil society and industry stakeholders to advance awareness and support for fair trade in Canada. We support collaboration and best practices within the fair trade movement to increase Canadian commitments to international social responsibility. Mission We seek to foster relationships, knowledge sharing and action to advance the fair trade movement. Board of Directors Avery Gottfried Elected January 16, 2015 (two-year term) | Board member since January 16, 2015 Avery has been the president of the board of directors for Fair Trade Vancouver (FTV) since 2009. He has played a key role in developing the policy and governance that guide FTV’s operations and organizational relationships including the development of an organizational fair trade endorsement policy to help navigate the increasing number of certification claims being used in the marketplace. Avery works as a solid waste planning engineer at the Tetra Tech EBA office in Vancouver. In his six years of experience working as a consultant in the environment industry, Avery has developed a keen sense for strategy development, operational planning, and program benchmarking to help municipalities and businesses move towards zero waste. Bev Toews Elected January 10, 2014 (two-year term) | Board member since January 10, 2014 Bev is an educational assistant at Olds High School in Olds, Alberta. She is the chairperson of the Fair Trade Olds committee and has been involved in the Fair Trade movement for 30 years. She started her journey after reading about producers and their products in a Ten Thousand Villages cookbook she received as a wedding gift. Since then, she has been actively involved in sourcing and purchasing fair trade and other ethically sourced products for her family and sharing her knowledge with the many people she comes into contact with. During a recent trip to Mexico with her husband, Bev visited a Fairtrade coffee bodega in Chiapas, Mexico. Bruce Morton Re-elected January 10, 2014 (two-year term) | Board member since July 16, 2012 Bruce became a member of Oxfam and Fair Trade Toronto in 2002, and has organized coffee demos in Toronto grocery stores such as Loblaws, Dominion, Superstores, and the St. Lawrence Market. He has visited fair trade co-operatives COOCAFE in Costa Rica and CONACADO in Dominican Republic. In 2006, Bruce co-founded Fair Trade Barrie, which in 2009 received the YMCA Peace Medallion Award for its fair trade advocacy. In 2010, Bruce assisted with Barrie’s qualification as a Fair Trade Town and he currently assists other communities in building fair trade awareness. 5 Dustin Johnson Vice President Re-elected January 10, 2014 (two-year term) | Board member since February 6, 2013 Dustin recently graduated from Dalhousie University with a master’s in resource and environmental management and is beginning his career in humanitarian aid. He became involved in fair trade advocacy through Engineers Without Borders in 2012. He is working to make Dalhousie a Fair Trade Campus, and is promoting similar efforts at other schools in the region. Originally from New Mexico, Dustin has been living and studying in Canada since 2009. Éric St-Pierre Re-elected January 16, 2015 (two-year term) Éric originally served from July 16, 2012, through January 11, 2013 Éric is a professional photojournalist who has specialized in fair trade since 1996. He has visited 20 countries and has documented 15 different fair trade products. He has presented four major photo exhibits and published three books of photographs on fair trade. A speaker and specialist in fair trade, Éric is a founding member and now employee of the Association québécoise du commerce équitable. In 2013–2014, Éric and his family spent 18 months living in Burkina Faso, where Éric volunteered for the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI), doing communication and marketing work with national organizations of the rice industry. Kaan Williams Treasurer Re-elected January 16, 2015 (two-year term) | Board member since July 16, 2012 Kaan became connected to the fair trade movement through Engineers Without Borders Canada. He worked with EWB to steward the University of British Columbia into position as Canada’s first Fair Trade Campus. He subsequently became involved in Fair Trade Vancouver as a city/campus liaison and co-founded the Canadian Fair Trade Network in 2011. His ongoing work is often focused on supporting Fair Trade Campus campaigns across the country. Krista Pineau Secretary Elected January 10, 2014 (two-year term) | Board member since January 10, 2014 Since her introduction to Engineers Without Borders (EWB) in 2011, Krista has taken a profound interest in the fair trade community. Her involvement in fair trade with EWB evolved from working in youth engagement when she co-organized a youth conference based on fair trade in 2012. She worked with the staff and students at Simon Fraser University on its Fair Trade Campus designation, and she has now brought her passion and experience to Laval University. Completing her bachelor’s degree in economics and politics in French in Quebec City, Krista is bilingual and has many contacts in Quebec fair trade organizations. 6 | Canadian Fair Trade Network • 2015 Annual Report Kyra Moshtaghi-Nia Elected January 10, 2014 (two-year term) | Board member since January 10, 2014 While completing her bachelor’s degree in economics at the University of Manitoba, Kyra joined Engineers Without Borders (EWB). She signed up to hand out free fair trade coffee and fell in love with the concept of fair trade. She then started the path towards making the university a Fair Trade Campus. Since graduating in 2013, Kyra maintains a relationship with the university through the Office of Sustainability and EWB. She also volunteers for the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation by assisting in the coordination of fair trade Carrotmobs. Lia Walsh Re-elected January 16, 2015 (two-year term) Lia originally served from July 16, 2012, through January 11, 2013 Lia is the chair of Fair Trade Ottawa Équitable, having been a member of the organization since its inception in 2011.